This gentle, calming gardening life sim is just what I need to decompress and relax

Each day I'm welcomed back into The Garden Path, I fall into its relaxing rhythm. I wander through the garden I've become the caretaker of over the last few weeks, stopping to collect some chamomile I'll later use to brew some tea. Then I plant down some seeds I still have sitting in my backpack, before settling down by a small river stream to do some fishing. The gentle sounds of the virtual natural world surround me, bringing a soothing ambience to developer Carrot Cake's life sim that I constantly find comforting. Before long, the anxiety that so often takes hold during my mornings starts to ease.

Designed to be played a little bit each day, The Garden Path runs in time with real-world clock, but I love the way it encourages me to slow things down and take my time. I never feel pressured to complete its goals or objectives, and nothing too demanding is ever asked of me. Whenever I want to step away, I can leave it and later pick things up right where I left off. Essentially, the garden lets me set my pace, which I've come to appreciate more and more. Lately, I've been turning to this little gem of a game a lot when I need to unwind and switch off, and it's slowly but surely helping me in much the same way as Animal Crossing: New Horizons .

Growing

At the start of The Garden Path, I create my own character and learn how to interact with the garden. When I want to gather resources I see around the landscape, for example, I can focus on plants, with options to harvest or record them. Doing the latter will help me learn more about the flora and fauna I come across - I actually find it very relaxing to simply run around the place recording every tree, flower, or shrub I find. To harvest certain plants, I need to use the right tools, which I can only get my hands on with the help of some new-found friends.

After a bit of exploration, I come across some folk visiting the garden who are more than happy to instruct me or help me out. My first encounter sees me meet an adorable scout bear by the name of Augustus, who first has me fetch him some plants before offering to repair and give me his secateurs once I've found the missing half. A buffalo called Larto then freely gives me a fishing rod.

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Carrot Cake's delightful take on fishing is by far my favorite pastime in the garden. You move a cursor within a tiled square, and your character will whistle to attract the attention of song fish. Once one is lured, a circle will appear that you move the cursor into to secure your catch. Every songfish has a sound that you can emulate once you've caught it to use its ability - such as a beech fish that will cause some beech seedlings to grow in the earth. It's one of the more unique fishing minigames I've come across, and it's what I like to spend most of my time doing.

The characters you can meet are undoubtedly a big highlight, not unlike the villagers in Animal Crossing. Every time I step back into The Garden Path, I run around to see who I might meet next, from the suspicious frog Tabbal, to Molly who has an onion for a head, and a monkey called Bunk who gives me some tea. All of them have their own personalities and they'll sometimes ask you for help with set tasks to complete. It's a delight to speak to each and every one of them so far, and I can't wait to see who else may pay a visit the next time I boot up the game.

Written in the stars

As you go about trying things out and completing goals, you'll also unlock stars in the sky that act as in-game achievements. This can be everything from harvesting a certain amount, to planting seeds, and speaking to a number of folk. You can also track stars you haven't yet unlocked to give yourself additional goals, which is a nice touch if you want some more direction.

Eventually I find a wise old man by the name of Thom who sets me on my way to learning more about the garden. While you're free to spend your time however you wish during your visits, there's an undercurrent of mystery to the idyllic hand-drawn land, and you can try to learn more about its past and the gardener who used to tend to it. I'm already curious to see where this may take me as I steadily piece together more and more each time I decide to return.

As a garden that's yours to grow and shape, you can also place down decorations and make it your own. In this world, there's no set currency, but folk will trade you all manner of things for different resources, including more ornaments you can place down anywhere you like. It can take a little spell to get used to the controls and learn the ins and outs of the menu and what resources are needed for trading, but everything works quite well on the Switch.

I've really been taking my time with The Garden Path, which is really how it's designed to be experienced. As someone with generalized anxiety, I often find myself feeling especially restless at night, or in the early hours of the morning. And lately, I've been reaching for Carrot's Cake's charming life sim to get some breathing space. If you're looking for a quiet, slower paced experience that you can get lost in for a time, and you're a fan of gardening, this is just the ticket for you.

The Garden Path is out now on PC and Switch. To see what else we've been enjoying this year so far, head on over to our Indie Spotlight series.